The match 46 of IPL 2023 between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Mumbai Indians (MI) at Mohali’s IS Bindra Stadium on Wednesday, 3 May promises to be an exciting contest. Punjab is on the sixth position in the points table, while Mumbai is on the seventh position.
PBKS, led by Shikhar Dhawan, have won five and lost four matches so far, while MI, captained by Rohit Sharma, have won four and lost four matches in their campaign. In their last match, PBKS secured a comfortable victory over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Meanwhile, MI also secured a comfortable victory over the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their last match.
Two highly skilled teams are set to collide in what promises to be an exciting match. With both the teams eager to secure their sixth and fifth win in the IPL 2023. Both teams have played seven and eight matches in this season. Punjab has won 15 games, while Mumbai has also won 15 games so far in the head to head encounters.
Also Read: IPL 2023 Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians: Weather Report for Match 46
Here are three player battles to watch out for during PBKS vs MI match:
1) Suryakumar Yadav vs Sam Curran
Mumbai Indians’ batter Suryakumar Yadav has been in some good form in the last couple of matches. If he gets his eye in, Yadav can be destructive, but he needs to spend time at the crease. Sam Curran, on the other hand has been impressive with the ball for Punjab Kings, claiming 3/31 against Lucknow Super Giants and being economical against Royal Challengers Bangalore. If he comes up against Suryakumar, Curran will look to stop him down.
2) Tim David vs Arshdeep Singh
Mumbai Indians’ Tim David has played some impressive cameos for the team in IPL 2023 so far. He is a great striker of the cricket ball and has proved his worth with his batting performances. David will look to carry on the good run. Arshdeep Singh has done a decent job for Punjab Kings at the death. He is now a reasonably experienced campaigner and knows how to ball in the slog overs. David will look to take him on, but Arshdeep will be confident of challenging him.
3) Rohit Sharma vs Kagiso Rabada
Despite not scoring too many big runs in IPL 2023, Mumbai Indians’ skipper Rohit Sharma has looked in fine touch every time he has batted, with some good amount of runs against the oppositions. Punjab Kings should bring back Kagiso Rabada for the game against Mumbai Indians. The South African pacer has picked up three wickets in the first two matches he played and looked reasonably good, but he was left out for the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Nathan Ellis had a poor game, so Rabada could be back, and if he is, he will be up against Rohit.